Places to Visit / Locations

Shepperdine

Shepperdine is a rural hamlet near Oldbury-on-Severn, made up of farms, the ruins of an infamous pub and one of the country’s last remaining tin tabernacles.

The area is part of the picturesque Severn Way, a 210 mile walk that follows the river from its source at Plynlimon in the mountains of Wales to its mouth in the Severn Estuary.

Its infamous Windbound pub, now a ruin destined for demolition, is said to have provided the perfect excuse for workers who were going to be late home, who could claim that they were “windbound”. This is an old word meaning a ship that was unable to sail because of extreme winds.

St Mary’s Church, a small missionary church adjacent to Manor Farm in Nupdown Road, is a rare example of a tin tabernacle.

Tin tabernacles were designed as temporary structures to be replaced by more permanent churches but St Mary’s has remained as part of its community and still hosts church services once a month.

Dating from 1914, it is an early example of this kind of prefabricated church and, despite the name, is actually made of corrugated galvanized iron. It is particularly unusual for having retained so much of its original detailing with the only noticeable updates being the windows.